FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2017 Chevron Houston Marathon to be Carried Live on ESPN3 and Longhorn
Network
Broadcast to feature Two-time Olympian Kara Goucher as Color Analyst
HOUSTON (January 6, 2017) - The Houston Marathon Committee (HMC) and its
Official Broadcast Partner ABC13, announced today that the 2017 Chevron
Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon will have an expanded
U.S. and international viewing audience for the second consecutive year.
The races will air live in Houston on ABC13, in addition to being carried
on Longhorn Network and streaming on ESPN3, Sunday, January 15th at 7:00
a.m. CT.
The 2017 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon feature
27,000 participants, 7,500 volunteers and over 250,000 spectators, making
it the largest single-day sporting event in Houston. Runners from all 50
states and 47 countries will join a world-class elite field in all four
races.
"For seventeen years, ABC13 has promoted and presented this hallmark event
live to the Greater Houston Region, showcasing the thousands of wonderful
stories and sharing the accomplishments of our amazing local runners and
fundraisers of all levels," stated Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the
Houston Marathon Committee and Foundation. "Today, the marathon and half
marathon also attract the finest national and international elite
long-distance runners in the world. We could not be more thrilled and
thankful that this spectacular sporting event will be presented nationally
and internationally on ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network, and we are excited
that running great Kara Goucher will be joining our veteran broadcast
team."
ABC13 will air a three-hour live broadcast of the race from 7:00 a.m. to
10:00 a.m. CT, along with a 10:35 p.m. CT event recap - The Finish Line.
The ABC app will also carry the morning broadcast and abc13.com will stream
pace camera footage from the four elite races from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
and a live finish line cam until 1:00 p.m. The 45th running of the race
will also be available to fans nationwide on ESPN3 across WatchESPN
platforms and the ESPN app.
"Once again KTRK-TV is pleased to be able to partner with ESPN3 and ESPN's
Longhorn Network and share the Houston Marathon with runners across Texas
and around the world," said Henry Florsheim, President and General Manager
of ABC13/KTRK-TV.
ABC13's programming, helmed by Tom Koch and Gina Gaston, will focus on the
four elite races, inspiring stories and features on local runners. Two-time
Olympian Kara Goucher, who finished third at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon
Trials in Houston, and Rice University Track & Field Coach Jon Warren, will
call the play-by-play action for the elite races. Also contributing to the
broadcast will be ABC13 reporters Bob Slovak, David Nuno, Kaitlin McCulley,
Rebecca Spira and Samica Knight.
The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon have featured
the finest long distance runners in the world who have won Olympic Medals
and Marathon Majors. Houston has a long and successful racing tradition,
from staging the 1992 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon to hosting 16
U.S. Half Marathon National Championships. In 2007, two-time Olympian Ryan
Hall set the American Half Marathon Record 59:43 that still stands today,
and last year, Kenyan Mary Wacera ran the fastest half marathon ever by a
woman on U.S. soil in a time of 66:29.
About ESPN3
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that
delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on
computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices nationwide at no
additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or
video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also
available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military
personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus
educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
About Longhorn Network
ESPN has a 20-year agreement to own and operate a year-round, 24-hour
network dedicated to Texas athletics in partnership with UT and IMG
College. Longhorn Network offers a variety of content, highlighted by more
than 175 exclusive events annually from 20 sports, original series and
studio shows, historical programming and academic and cultural happenings.
About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC) annually
organizes the nation's premier winter marathon, half marathon, and 5K. Over
250,000 participants, volunteers and spectators make Chevron Houston
Marathon Race Day the largest single-day sporting event in Houston. A
founding member of Running USA, the HMC hosts the IAAF bronze labeled
Aramco Houston Half Marathon and silver labeled Chevron Houston Marathon.
For four consecutive years, the events have garnered Gold Certification
from the Council of Responsible Sport and were awarded the 2015 AIMS Green
Award for industry-leading sustainability initiatives.Race Weekend
generates over $50 million in economic impact for the region annually. In
2016, the Run for a Reason Charity Program raised $2.3 million, while the
Houston Marathon Foundation supported youth and community running
initiatives. Televised annually by broadcast partner ABC13, 2016 was the
first time that the event was syndicated live nationally and
internationally on ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network. Host to 16 U.S. Half
Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992 women's Olympic Trials
Marathon, the HMC also conducted the 2012 men's and women's U.S. Olympic
Trials Marathon.
For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com or call
713.957.3453.
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